Posted on 31 October 2011

Lew Archer will be adapted to the big screen again.

Warner Brothers Pictures acquired the rights to Ross Macdonald’s detective novels on Lew Archer. Deadline also reported the first film of the franchise will be based on the 1959 novel “The Galton Case,” which is the eighth book of the series.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

Rich boy Anthony Galton had dropped out of sight more than twenty years ago. To Lew Archer that meant the man was either dead or didn’t want to be found. But Tony’s nice old mother had a dream that her son would still come home before she died. So Archer took on the case hoping that Tony and Mom could live happily ever after…until he discovered that once upon a time there was a clever swindle, a scared blonde, and a very nasty murder.

Eighteen Lew Archer novels were written from 1949 to 1976 and there were a few short stories published in various magazines.

Lew Archer was adapted twice on to the big screen in 1966 with “Harper,” and “The Drowning Pool” in 1976. Paul Newman played Archer, but the character was renamed as Lew Harper. It was also adapted into a short-lived 1975 television series called “Archer.”

Silver Pictures’ Joel Silver will produce the project. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will be the executive producers.

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I like this Hollywood competition! Especially when you have two male leads in one movie. Like we have in the upcoming Andrew Niccol‘s adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host. So, no wonder we already have some big names involved in the whole thing. As you probably remember, Saoirse Ronan is on board to [...]

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Anchor Bay Films has announced today that on Friday, January 13th, 2012, they will be releasing theatrically the full, unrated directors cut of Xavier Gens’ The Divide in theatres. The version will contain additional footage not seen during its previous screenings at SXSW and Fantasia 2011. Initial markets on January 13th will include New York, [...]

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Posted on 31 October 2011

Deadline has reported there are early discussions for director Martin Campbell to helm the film adaptation of the 1981-1986 television series “The Fall Guy.”

The original series starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr and Heather Thomas. It’s about Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter to make ends meet.

The script adaptation is currently being written by the writing team of Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. They wrote the scripts for “Thor” and “X-Men: First Class,” as well as several television episodes for “Fringe,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “Andromeda.”

The film will be developed by producer Walter Parkes (“Gladiator,” “Minority Report”). Deadline also reported the project was initially with DreamWorks, but now it is not known which studio will be involved.

Campbell’s last project was with this year’s comic book film “Green Lantern.” His film credits also included “Edge of Darkness,” “Casino Royale” and “The Legend of Zorro.”

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Posted on 31 October 2011

Mandate Pictures announced today that Octavia Spencer (The Help) will star alongside Julianne Hough (Footloose) and Russell Brand (Get Him To The Greek) in the UNTITLED DIABLO CODY PROJECT. Academy Award® winner Diablo Cody will make her feature directorial debut from her original screenplay. Mason Novick (500 Days of Summer) will produce.

Mandate president Nathan Kahane (50/50) will executive produce alongside Diablo Cody. Nicole Brown, EVP of Production, is overseeing the project on behalf of Mandate Pictures. The project is on a fast track for a spring 2012 production start. Lionsgate is handling international sales and will present the film as part of their American Film Market slate.

The comedy follows a sheltered young woman (Hough) who loses her faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life. On her journey, she meets unlikely companions (Brand and Spencer) who inadvertently help her find her true self.

THE UNTITLED DIABLO CODY PROJECT marks the third collaboration with Cody, Novick and Mandate after their successful partnerships on JUNO and YOUNG ADULT, which will be released by Paramount Pictures this December. JUNO, directed by Reitman and written by Cody, garnered a host of accolades, including an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay (Diablo Cody) and three Academy Award® nominations for Best Motion Picture (Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers), Best Actress, and Best Director. The $227 million box-office and critical sensation was released by Fox Searchlight in late 2007.

Posted on 31 October 2011

The 'Fantastic Voyage' reboot is going in an entirely different direction from the 1966 film according to James Cameron, who works as a producer on the film. Speaking to Deadline, he said that the film's director, Shawn Levy really took his advice to heart. (And why wouldn't he?) The veteran director said:

"I gave him my idea about how this should be turned into a love story and he’s really run with it."
The original film followed a crew of scientists tasked with saving the life of a diplomat by being shrunken down to microscopic sizes and being injected into his body in hopes that they could cure what ailed him.

The reboot is said to follow a doctor who is going through a very tough time in his marriage as his wife is incredibly ill. In hopes of saving her life, he finds a way to enter her body in a non-traditional way. No word on if he assembles a crew or not. Despite a bit of a humorous mini-synopsis that is sure to be parodied as an adult feature, it definitely sounds a lot more emotionally charged than the original. Apparently the film really gets going when the minuscule husband reaches the wife's brain.

Deadline recently spoke with Levy not too long ago. According to them, he seems to be quite interested in the project, but is having to balance it with others. 'Fantastic Voyage' is unlikely to be his next theatrical outing. Recently, he has been named as the man to helm 20th Century Fox's 'Frankenstein,' which the screenwriter, Max Landis says has some wild ideas.

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Time to get thrillered guys! We have an interesting project on the road, and great team on board for the whole thing as well! According to the latest reports, Ann Peacock, lady responsible for Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobeand title has signed on to write Hunting Eichmann, and Brett Ratner [...]

Well, this is an exclusive news. As usual with Riddick, I guess. This time we’re here to inform you about offers for non-major roles or maybe better supporting roles? Oh, what the hell, this cast are definitely worth our attention! Andreas Apergis (Durham County), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Bokeem Woodbine (The Rock) and WWE wrestler [...]

Posted on 31 October 2011

Happy Halloween, readers! With everyone sleeping off parties and candy comas, and chugging Starbucks in order to take their little guys out to the streets tonight, today is a slow one for news. But we've got some things for you to read before you've got to light pumpkins and stock the candy bowl, so keep scrolling...

Mickey Rourke was at the "Immortals" junket this weekend, so naturally the Internet is full of "Sin City 2" talk. The talk isn't too new, of course, but Rourke has softened his stance about reprising his role as Marv. When asked whether he would return, Rourke didn't say no: "Depends. Depends how bad they want me. Ya’ feel me?" He then let out a big laugh, and emphasized his loathing of Marv's make-up again: "Yeah, I did [like the character of Marv.] But, I’m claustrophobic. So the three hours of makeup -- because you have to keep it on for thirteen-fourteen hours a day -- it’s latex and glue and that stuff that gets my eyes all red. It’s a nightmare. And the chair, you’ve got the teeth in. I remember I picked up some chick at a bar in Texas and I invited her to the set to have lunch at the lunch break. I couldn’t take the makeup off. I never saw her again." [Screen Rant]

Sequels were all over the "Immortals" junket, with producers Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari talking once more about the 300 spin-off/sequel/prequel, "300: The Battle of Artemesia" which is based on Frank Miller's "Xerxes." It seems the screenplay is done, but the project remains in flux. "Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, his writing partner, have killed it. They’ve done a tremendous job making a highly intelligent, epic story that will stand on its own. But it’s not a conventional sequel and, for what we do, that’s what you hope and pray for. That you can be original and authentic at the same time." When asked if Gerard Butler would reprise his role as Leonidas, Canton was teasing: "It's too early to say ... but we know the answer." I think that's code for "yes." Because if there's one thing this project is determined to do, it's hollowly echo all things that made "300" cool. [Screen Rant]

New Regency has won the rights to Fraggle Rock, and will turn the popular Jim Henson television series into a feature film. There's no further details beyond that the Henson Company will produce said film. I imagine a good deal rests on how "The Muppets" does at the box office.

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are at war! A Twitter war! The two "21 Jump Street" stars are currently locked in a battle as to who can gain the most Twitter followers by November 2nd. Whoever wins will post the red band trailer of the film; the second place will post the green band trailer. If you want to play along, you can follow one (or both, just to throw the count off) at @JonahHill or @ChanningTatum. We'll undoubtedly have both trailers at Latino Review come November 2nd, but early Tweets get the worm.

Nicolas Winding Refn's remake of "Logan's Run" has a new screenplay writer in Andrew Baldwin. You may remember that it was being penned by Alex Garland (of recent "Judge Dredd" buzz) and he did produce a script, but can't write the full screenplay due to schedule conflicts. It sounds as though Baldwin will probably incorporate this script rather than starting from scratch. Ryan Gosling, now beloved by men even more than women, is still set to star. [The Hollywood Reporter]